The Diablito at Don Manuel’s

For the uninitiated, raspados are a sort of Mexican snowcone. They can range from a cheap neon syrup poured over ice to the fresh fruit ices of Don Manuel. Don Manuel uses a Hawaiian-style shaved ice machine, so their raspados are lighter and fluffier than the grainy, chunky ice of most shops.

The desserts come in a variety of flavors — strawberry, pineapple, tamarind, vanilla, and nuez (pecan) among others. The best though, is the aptly named diablito. The fruit of your choice is topped with syrup, ice, chamoy, and lots of hot chile. It is very similar to a Bloody Mary. I wouldn’t normally promote spiking drinks, but I think it would be improved with a shot of vodka or tequila. I also suggest getting the diablito with mango, which offsets the heat nicely.

While you are there you can do like the high school kids and get a bag of Tostitos split open and topped with mango, cucumber, cueritos and chamoy. Some people aren’t into cueritos, a pickled pork skin. Try instead the Flamin Hot Cheetos with nacho cheese. Nothing wrong with that.

About Elise Thompson

Born and raised in the great city of Los Angeles, this food, culture and music-loving punk rock angeleno wants to turn you on to all that is funky, delicious and weird in the city. While Elise holds down the fort, her adventurous alter ego Kiki Maraschino is known to roam the country in search of catfish.